Food in Israel

Food in Israel

On a tour of the Holy Land, food in Israel is a key aspect to the journey.

Food and wine experiences are central to your tour of Israel and the Holy Land.

Once a land of scarcity and rationing, today Israel is a culinary mecca. Fresh, local, and organic are terms easily applied to Israel’s food scene. Red, ripepomegranates are sold on fruit stands from September through early November and in the open air markets. You can buy a tart glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice – rich in anti-oxidants – in Akko, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem.

Small family run farms produce goat and sheep cheeses. Recently, buffalo-milk mozzarella and ricotta cheeses appeared in stores, made from the milk of Italian buffaloes that were imported from Italy and are thriving in Israel. Low in fat, high in Vitamin A and super delicious, these products are snapped up.

Craft beers are the newest craze in Israel, with microbreweries offering creative beers on tap. If beer is your thing, let us know and we will be sure to include a tasting of hops.

On your private tour of the Holy Land and Israel, we include visits to boutique wineries around the country. Vineyards in Israel are found in a wide variety of terrains: sample wines produced from grapes cultivated in the desert, in volcanic earth, along the Mediterranean coast, and in the hills surrounding Jerusalem – resulting in wines with unique personalities.

Spices, Mid Eastern baked goods, breads and pitas, shwarma – meat grilled on a rotating spit and served in pita bread – are found in theshuk of the Old City of Jerusalem, at Mahane Yehuda, the open air market in west Jerusalem, in Acco, and in Tel Aviv’s Carmel market. The Old Port in Jaffa is lined with fish and seafood restaurants offering the catch of the day.

Here’s a tip: Italian coffee is on tap at gas stations across the country. Feeling peckish? Ask your guide to pull over to a gas station for a cup of Lavazza or other ritzy Italian brew: top notch java is our daily fare.

We make sure to complement your tour of the Holy Land with Israel’s culinary colors, textures and tastes. Get ready to savor, swill, and delight in new tastes and flavors.

Judy Isaacson is the founder of Drive-Israel.com, a unique travel planning service for self-drive trips in Israel. Her passion for sourcing Israel's best accommodations to suit specific client requirements, as well as treats for foodies from Israel's famed open-air markets: olive oil, goat cheese, spices, and wines to include in Holy Land tours, delivers a very special experience to visitors. Co-founder and publisher of the online magazine, @The Source Israel, her hobby is finding unexpected Israeli delights.
As travel planners for visitors to Israel who prefer private self-drive tours instead of group travel, we include intriguing places to stay, adventure expeditions, meet the artist sessions, tours of ethnic communities, ocean kayaking, cave crawling, star gazing, hot air ballooning, and literary tours.